With so many news stories, it’s understandable to be concerned about the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Please know that the precautions your dentist already takes every day to prevent the spread of infection in his or her practice also helps prevent the spread of COVID-19.

• If you are ill with flu-like symptoms, you should reschedule your appointment.
• If you or someone you are in close contact with have recently traveled to one of the countries with large outbreaks of COVID-19 (China, Italy, Iran, South Korea) or if you have been exposed to someone else who was diagnosed with COVID-19 or who was quarantined as a precaution, wait 14 days until you see your dentist to make sure you have not caught the coronavirus. 
• If you are healthy, there’s no need to cancel your regularly scheduled dental appointment.

Parents want the best they can provide for children. Dental care is one need, and it is important to start your child's oral health maintenance correctly. I will discuss a few key points, and your general dentist or pedodontist can provide further information.

For an infant, clean the gums and erupting teeth with a wet washcloth or soft toothbrush. As more teeth erupt, use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on the soft toothbrush in a gentle, light brushing action. If you put an infant to bed with a bottle, make it water only.

"First visit by the first birthday" is the advice of pediatric specialists. This is to establish an early prevention program for your child. A visit every six months thereafter is recommended.

Teething pain from six months to three years old, on average, can be alleviated with a teething ring, cold wet washcloth, a chilled teething ring or massaging the gums. Avoid using a lot of gel products.

Thumb or finger-sucking is common, but should stop by age four. If allowed to continue, it can create crowded or protruded permanent teeth. Your dentist can help if this is a problem.

Diet is very important. Your child needs a balanced diet, not overloaded with carbohydrates. The "carbs" come in the form of sugars (in processed juices, fruit roll ups, candies and jellies) and starches (in potato chips, bread, crackers, pretzels and pasta). These carbs will make your child more susceptible to cavities. Gum and soda should be limited and sugar-free.

​In summary beware of frequent snacking, brush well two or three times a day, floss once daily, and use a flouride toothpaste. Go to your dentist's office every six months, and he/she may recommend sealants and flouride treatments.

You've watched the Makeover shows on TV. You have seen that dentistry can offer life-changing results. Dental work must function adequately under great stresses of chewing, grinding, nail-biting, etc. Dental implants, when appropriate, can offer great function and cosmetics.

Dental implants have a track record over the last four decades. To [over] simplify, a dental implant is a titanium-metal anchor in the jawbone, meant to replace the root of a missing tooth (or several teeth). On top of the implant can be placed a crown, bridge, or removable (false) teeth.

The benefits of implants can be many. They provide a natural-looking cosmetic enhancement by filling the space of a missing tooth. They provide a secure and comfortable function for replacement teeth, even stabilizing dentures. Implants can eliminate the need to grind down other natural teeth for a bridge. They help prevent deterioration of the jawbone caused by loss of teeth. Implants can give you increased confidence in laughing, smiling, speaking and eating. You will look and feel better.

Implants must be placed under certain guidelines and not every person or situation is correct for implants. Some specialists and fewer general dentists place implants. You should talk to your dentist if you are interested in a dental implant. If you are missing one tooth or more, you may greatly benefit functionally and cosmetically from dental implants. 

The primary causes for dental concerns in senior citizens are [slow-down or malfunction of] body systems, poor nutrition, medications, loss of manual dexterity, and tooth wear. Some or all of these can be interrelated. Xerostomia is lack of saliva flow. This is due to age, medical conditions (Sjogrens Syndrome), smoking, and some medications. Decreased saliva flow results in high susceptibility to cavities and periodontal disease. Your dentist may recommend prescription rinses with fluoride or chlorhexidine antibacterial, artificial saliva, sugarless lemon drops to stimulate saliva glands, or talking with your physician to possibly change medications.

Excessive tooth wear and stain occurs with time. Teeth will be unsightly, less efficient chewing, hypersensitive or even abcess. Your dentist may recommend fillings, crowns, or removing/replacing the teeth in some fashion. Periodontal disease can run rampant in seniors. This is due to smoking, poor hygiene from inability to brush and floss well, poor diet, decreased saliva or medical conditions (diabetes, Sjogrens syndrome). Periodontal disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults. Your dentist may recommend more frequent appointments, electric toothbrush, prescription rinses, nutritional counseling or referral to a specialist.

Root cavities are more prevalent in seniors due to gum recession combined with the other factors discussed above. Loss or alteration of taste occurs due to lack of saliva flow, increased bacteria or fungus in mouth, taste buds decreased function, medications, poor oral hygiene, and dentures. Most of these factors can be addressed by prescription rinses, electric toothbrush, increased water intake, and proper care of dentures.

Angular Cheilitis is the corners of the mouth being inflamed or infected. Often this is caused by drooping of the cheeks to increase folds, moisture trapped within, and possibly fungal infection in these areas. Local medication can help, as well as good dental work. 

Osteoporosis is a condition resulting in loss of calcium and bone mass. This can affect the jawbones as well as other bones of the body. Proper nutrition and, if necessary, supplements can be used to combat this. You can see that seniors may be afflicted with many dental problems. Solutions to these can include increased water intake, saliva substitutes, nutrition counseling including vitamins, fluoride or antibacterial prescription rinses, use of an electric toothbrush, more frequent dental visits (even if you have dentures), sugarless lemon drops, restoring teeth with good dental work, relining dentures or new dentures, taking dentures out for a few hours a day, and replacing teeth with dental implants for better comfort and function.

Dental implants are an excellent way to replace missing teeth. Implants are titanium root-form cylinders placed into the jawbone. Restorations on these implants can be cemented crowns and bridges, or removable dentures with attachments to snap onto the implants for retention. These implants will make a huge improvement in chewing, aesthetics and confidence.
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Seeing a dentist regularly is a great first step on your way to restoring and maintaining good dental health. For further information on any of the above, please call your dentist.

Frisco, TX, 2010 Frisco Smile Solutions is now offering OraVerse to patients who don’t want that lingering numbness after local anesthetics. After administrating OraVerse, a patient can return to normal sensation twice as fast. In clinical trials, patients have reported a return as quickly as 30 minutes after receiving OraVerse. For details visit www.oraverse.com.

OraVerse is the first and only local anesthesia reversal agent that accelerates the return to normal sensation and function for patients who want to avoid the unwanted and unnecessary lingering soft tissue numbness following routine dental procedures. The first-in-class product was officially launched earlier this year by the San Diego based company Novalar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The average duration of soft tissue numbness following the use of a local dental anesthetic is 3-5 hours. Numbness can lead to functional deficits. These deficits can result in difficulty with speaking, smiling, eating, drinking, biting of lip or cheek and uncontrolled drooling as well as give the patient a perceived sense of altered appearance. OraVerse has been proven to return a patient’s normal sensation twice as fast.

OraVerse has an excellent safety profile. There are no contraindications and no known drug interactions with OraVerse. In clinical trials involving over 700 patients, there was no significant difference in adverse events versus control.

About OraVerse®
OraVerse (phentolamine mesylate) Injection is the first and only local dental anesthesia reversal agent that accelerates the return to normal sensation and function following restorative and periodontal maintenance procedures. OraVerse is indicated for the reversal of soft tissue anesthesia, i.e., anesthesia of the lip and tongue, and the associated functional deficits resulting from an intraoral submucosal injection of a local anesthetic containing a vasoconstrictor. OraVerse is indicated for use only in adults and children 6 years of age or older and weighing at least 15 kg (33 lbs). For more information visit www.oraverse.com

Important Safety Information
​Following parenteral use of phentolamine at doses between 5 to 15 times higher than the recommended dose of OraVerse (phentolamine mesylate), myocardial infarction, and cerebrovascular spasm and occlusion have been reported, usually in association with marked hypotensive episodes producing shocklike states. Although such effects are uncommon with OraVerse, clinicians should be alert to the signs and symptoms of tachycardia, bradycardia, and cardiac arrhythmias, particularly in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease; as these symptoms may occur with the use of phentolamine or other alphaadrenergic blocking agents. OraVerse is a registered trademark of Novalar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.